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Angry Daniel Alfredsson takes heat over ‘probably not’ remark

Ottawa Senators team captain Daniel Alfredsson talks to reporters in Ottawa Thursday May 23, 2013. The Ottawa Senators are facing elimination against the Pittsburgh Penguins trailing 3 games to 1 in the best of 7 in the Eastern Conference, Stanley Cup semi-final. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand

OTTAWA — Daniel Alfredsson took a beating Thursday in the court of public opinion for stating that the Ottawa Senators would “probably not” be able to overcome a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins.

But he’s not going to change a word.

He only wishes that more attention was paid to the second part of his post-game comments, in which he predicted that the Senators would respond with their best game of the season.

In the aftermath of Wednesday’s 7-3 loss in Game 4, the Senators were as low as they were high after their 2-1 overtime win on Sunday.

Alfredsson, frustrated and angry, said he was only stating the obvious: That no one gives the Senators much chance of beating the Penguins in three straight games.

For this candour, his leadership was called into question.

It was also inevitable that Alfredsson would be compared unfavourably with Mark Messier, whose name is on the NHL leadership award that Alfredsson was nominated for this week.

OTTAWA, ONTARIO: May 22, 2013 — Daniel Alfredsson takes the puck away from Sidney Crosby in the 2nd period as the Ottawa Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 4 of the NHL Eastern Conference Semi-Finals at Scotiabank Place.

Nineteen years ago on May 23, Messier guaranteed that the New York Rangers, down 3-2 to the New Jersey Devils, would win Game 6 to bring the series back to Madison Square Garden for Game 7.

And they did, also winning Game 7.

Hockey history, popular Yahoo! Sports blogger Greg Wyshynski suggested, would have been a lot different if Messier had said “probably not.”

On Thursday, Alfredsson said he wouldn’t speculate on what Messier might have done on Wednesday night, but that no one should question his character or heart.

“It’s pretty obvious to me that we’re in very tough and all we can do is prepare for (Friday),” he said.

Was it taken out of context?

“Probably. That’s fine. I can handle that. We’re down 3-1 to a very good team and going back to their building.

“We’re just going to go in there and give them a hell of a game. We’ve always responded really well when our backs are against the wall and this is no different.

“The good thing is that we’re still in the playoffs. It’s not over. So we’re going to go in there and give them everything we have.”

“If you ask anyone and they looked at our series, I don’t think there’s too many people that would pick us right now,” he said. “That’s what I meant.

“We have an opportunity and we’re still in the playoffs.

“It doesn’t really matter to me which way it’s looked at. I think the guys in this room know enough about me, and I believe in these guys.

From his teammates, Alfredsson got nothing but support.

“I don’t think he meant anything,” said Erik Karlsson, a good friend of Alfredsson. “I just think he probably thought it was a stupid question and just get it over with.

“Sometimes it’s tough to answer some questions in certain ways. It’s five minutes after the game and sometimes it gets the best of you.”

Jason Spezza, who has know Alfredsson longer than most players on the team, said the captain is an “honest guy” who can be “pretty frank.

“He’s always been a guy who’s spoken his mind when he has to,” said Spezza. “I think things can be taken out of context a little bit, too.

“I think what he was getting at was that our backs are against the wall and nobody’s going to give us a chance — the oddsmakers aren’t going to give us a chance to win this series, and maybe that’s how we like it.

“Maybe that’s how we’ve played our best hockey all year. I think that’s what he was getting at.”

The coach also said he wasn’t concerned.

“The playoffs are hard all the time, it’s just harder (now),” said Paul MacLean said. “I think, Daniel — I’ve got no issue with that.”